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A Taste of Armageddon (episode)
On a diplomatic mission, the crew visit a planet that is waging a destructive war fought solely by computer model, but the casualties, including the crew of the USS Enterprise, are supposed to be real. Summary The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) is en route to star cluster NGC 321 to open diplomatic relations with the civilization there. After several unacknowledged overtures, a message comes from planet Eminiar VII, the principal planet of the cluster -- code 710 -- stay away at all costs. Ambassador Robert Fox overrides Kirk's wish to honor the request, and orders him to take the Enterprise into the system. Kirk's orders are clear: establish diplomatic relations at all costs. He, Spock, Yeoman Tamura, and two guards, Galloway and Osborne beam down; they are met by Mea 3 at the Division of Control, seat of the Eminian Union. There, Kirk learns that he is in grave danger. Mea takes him to the High Council, whose leader, Anan 7, rejects Kirk's diplomatic overture -- because of the war. Anan reveals that Eminiar has been fighting a war with the third planet of the system, Vendikar, for almost 500 years. But despite a hit, right in the city, Kirk and his landing party can find no evidence of war. No explosions, no radiation, nothing that would suggest the damage he is assured is occurring. Spock deduces the truth: the war is fought with computers. Casualties are calculated, and the victims have twenty-four hours to report to a disintegration station so their deaths may be recorded. This tidy solution preserves the civilization, despite the cost in lives. Kirk is incredulous that people would simply walk into disintegration machines; Anan assures him that his people have a high sense of duty. And then Anan tells Kirk that when the Enterprise entered orbit, it became a legitimate target, and it has been destroyed by a tricobalt satellite explosion. Like the victims on the surface, Kirk's crew has twenty-four hours to report for disintegration. Kirk and his party are imprisoned to ensure compliance. Mea, herself declared a casualty, defends the system. She tells Kirk that if people don't report for disintegration, then Vendikar will be forced to launch real weapons, and Eminiar would be forced to retaliate, and both civilization and population would die. The Eminians attempt trickery. Using a voice duplicator, Anan 7 tries to lure the crew to the surface. Scotty, suspicious, analyzes the message and discovers the duplicity. Meanwhile, on the surface, Spock employs trickery of his own: using a form of telepathy, he plants a suggestion in their jailer's mind. Thinking the Federation prisoners have escaped, he opens the door, and is quickly overpowered. Moving about the Division of Control, the party encounters disintegration station 12, and destroys it. In response, Anan 7 institutes a full search, and orders the planetary defense batteries to open fire on the orbiting starship. Engineer Scott's caution proves most fortunate; the shields are able to turn aside the sneak attack. Kirk realizes the only way he can save his ship and his crew is to put a stop to the fighting. To this end, he inveigles help from Mea 3. Meanwhile, Ambassador Fox attempts to salvage the situation. He contacts the planet, offering to have the ship lower its shields and to beam down personally to discuss the matter; Anan apparently agrees. However, this is a trick to enable the Eminians to destroy the ship and meet the terms of their treaty with Vendikar. Fortunately, Scott, with Dr. McCoy's support, bluntly refused Fox's order to have the ship stand down. He notes that the landing party is obviously being held prisoner, and the ship was just fired on without provocation. Fox threatens to have Scott court martialed for insubordination and proceeds to the planet with his aide alone. Anan retreats to his office to prepare. Kirk, hidden there, confronts him, demanding to speak with his ship. Anan is more interested in saving his world, and refuses to yield. But finally, Anan tells Kirk where the communicators can be found; Kirk, correctly suspecting trickery pushes Anan into the corridor ahead of him. But it's no good; the guards overpower him after a brief struggle. Fox beams to the surface with his attache; they are escorted -- but not to the council chamber. Instead, Anan and his guards herd them to a disintegraton station. Fortunately for the ambassador, Spock learns he has beamed down, and effects a rescue, destroying disintegration station 11 in the process. After the rescue, Fox admits that he has been dangerously mistaken about the situation and offers to help in the fighting. With Kirk held in the council chamber, he learns that Eminiar is falling behind its quotas, and Vendikar accuses it of violating the treaty. Anan pleads with Kirk; if his crew doesn't report for disintegration, the civilizations on Eminiar and Vendikar will be destroyed in the very real war that will erupt. Kirk is unmoved. Anan opens a channel to the ship; Kirk takes advantage of the opportunity to request General Order 24 in two hours. Anan threatens the hostages' lives if the crew does not report immediately. Kirk informs Anan that his threats are academic, since in two hours, the Enterprise will destroy Eminiar. Anan is at his wits' end; helpless, he faces certain abrogation of his planet's treaty responsibilities. Chance favors Kirk, who manages to overpower the guards and the council. Then, Kirk tells Anan his plan: to save his crew, he plans to end the war. To do so, he destroys the war computers. Those of Vendikar will assume Eminiar has broken the treaty, and will plan for real war. The next attacks, by both sides, will be very real. Or -- they could change five hundred years of theoretical fighting, and make peace instead. Kirk tells Anan that if they contact Vendikar, they will quickly realize that they are just as horrified at the prospect of real war. Anan remembers that the communication link with Vendikar is still in existence, though unused for decades. There might be a chance to save both planets if they put it to use. Kirk leaves Fox behind to negotiate the peace. Background Information *George Takei (Sulu) does not appear in this episode. *Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called "foto-novels," which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book formatted story. The fourth installment was an adaptation of this episode. * The computer banks on Eminiar VII are also used in Starbase Operations in The Menagerie. * For unknown reasons, the actor portraying Lt. Osborne is given no credit in any sources. He is often incorrectly noted as played by Frank da Vinci. * The statue seen in Anan's room will be seen again on Scalos in Wink of an Eye. * Another beautiful matte painting was created for this episode, unfortunately, it is the last painting in the series into which live actors are inserted. This matte of the Eminiar city would be re-used as the backdrop of Scalos in the third season episode, Wink of an Eye. * The necked viewscreens used on Eminiar VII are the same ones that appear on the ship in the two pilots, and in Mendez's office in The Menagerie, Part I. * According to David Gerrold, the computer tallies of war dead in this episode was a statement about Vietnam War deaths that began to be registered on nightly newscasts in 1967. * Although women handle phasers from time to time in the series (Uhura, Marlena Moreau, Marla McGivers), Yeoman Tamura is the only one ever given a weapon for a security job, as Spock assigns her the duty of keeping Mea 3 from disintegrating herself. * The sonic disruptors used in this episode would be slightly modified to become Klingon phasers in "Errand of Mercy" and other episodes featuring the Klingons. * Many years after this episode, in 2003, a Star Wars comic featured a planet called Vendikar Station, which might be a reference to the Vendikar planet in this episode. Memorable Quotes "Sir, there is a multilegged creature crawling on your shoulder." - Spock {disgustedly} "Diplomats! The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!" - Scott "Well, Scotty -- now you've done it! "Aye, the haggis is in the fire for sure. But I'll not lower my defenses on the word of that mealy-mouthed gentleman down below... not until I know what happened to the captain." -- McCoy and Scott after refusing Fox's orders "I've never been a soldier, Mr. Spock -- but I learn very quickly." -- Ambassador Fox "Disease, suffering, hardship... that's what war is all about, Anon. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided. But you've made it neat and painless - so neat and painless, you've had no reason to stop it, and you've had it for five hundred years." --Kirk, on Emeniar and Vendekar's situation. "You realize what you've done!" "Yes, I do. I've given you back the horrors of war. Vendekar will now assume that you have violated the treaty and are preparing to wage real war with real weapons. They'll want to do the same... only the next attack they launch will do more than count up numbers on a computer. They'll destroy your cities, devastate your planet. You, of course, will want to retaliate; if I were you, I'd start making bombs. Yes, councilman, you have a real war on your hands. You can either wage it with real weapons, or you might consider an alternative -- put an end to it! Make peace." Anon and Kirk after Emeniar's war computers are destroyed. "All, right - it's instinctive. But the instinct can be fought. We're human beings, with the blood of a million savage years on our hands. But we can stop it! We can admit we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes. Knowing that we're not going to kill... today. Call Vendekar; I think you'll find them just as horrified, shocked, as appalled as you are -- willing to avoid the alternative I've given you; peace or utter destruction. It's up to you" - Kirk, on how to control one's aggressive instincts. "Captain, you almost make me believe in luck." "Why, Mr. Spock -- you almost make me believe in miracles." -- Spock and Kirk Links and References Main Cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * James Doohan as Scott * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Guest Stars * David Opatoshu as Anan 7 * Gene Lyons as Robert Fox * Barbara Babcock as Mea 3 * Miko Mayama as Tamura (credited as Tamula) * Sean Kenney as DePaul * Robert Sampson as Sar 6 * Frank da Vinci as Brent * Eddie Paskey as Leslie * David L. Ross as Galloway * Eddie Paskey as Eminiar Guard #1 * William Blackburn as Eminiar Guard #2 * Ron Veto as Eminiar Guard #3 * Frank da Vinci as Eminiar Guard #4 * John Burnside as Eminiar Guard #5 * Walter Edmiston as the Eminiar Security Voice * Majel Barrett as the computer voice * Malone (first name unknown) as Fox's aide * Unknown actor as Lt. Osborne References Code 710; Disintegration station; Eminian Union; Eminiar-Vendikar War; Eminiar VII; Fusion bomb; haggis; Osborne; General Order 24; NGC 321; Prime Directive; sonic disruptor; Tricobalt satellite; Trova; [[USS Valiant|USS Valiant]]; Vendikar; Voice duplicator; Vulcan mind meld. External links *Wikipedia: A Taste of Armageddon Taste of Armageddon, A de:Krieg der Computer fr:A Taste of Armageddon nl:A Taste of Armageddon